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Coping with China: Comparing Korea, Vietnam, and Japan Intro The emerging states and civilizations of Korea , Vietnam , and Japan also had tributary relationships with China o Agricultural, sedentary societies o Their civilizations were shaped by proximity to China but did not become Chinese o Similar to twentieth-century Afro-Asian societies that accepted elements of Western culture while maintaining political/cultural independence Korea and China Interaction with China started with temporary Chinese conquest of northern Korea during the Han dynasty, with some colonization. Korean states emerged in 4th – 7th centuries o The states were rivals; also resisted Chinese political control o 7th Century - the Silla kingdom allied with Tang dynasty China to bring some political unity Chinese tried to assimilate Koreans and setup puppet regime Koreans resisted with military Korea generally maintained political independence under the Silla (688–900), Koryo (918–1392), and Yi (1392–1910) dynasties o But China provided legitimacy for Korean rulers o Efforts to replicate Chinese court life and administration Mini Tang Dynasty o Capital city Kumsong modeled on Chinese capital Chang’an Acceptance of much Chinese culture THROUGH TRIBUTE SYSTEM o Chinese luxury goods, scholarship, and religious influence o Confucianism had negative impact on Korean women, especially after 1300 Korean Women had “Free Choice” of wedding Allowed to sing and dance They were matriarchal Went to house of Woman’s Family Conflict w/ Confucian Korea maintained its Korean culture o Chinese cultural influence had little effect on Korea ’s serflike peasants or large slave population Only Buddhism moved beyond the Korean elite o Examination system for bureaucrats never won prominence o in 1400s, Korea developed a phonetic alphabet (hangul) Vietnam and China The experience of Vietnam was broadly similar to that of Korea o Elite culture of Vietnam borrowed heavily from China Red River valley was part of the Chinese state from 111 B.C.E. to 939 C.E. which is Vietnam ’s cultural heartland in the o Much longer period of time than Korea o Chinese viewed Vietnam as the “southern barbarian” o Real effort at cultural assimilation of elite o Provoked rebellions Trung Trac Rebellion Vietnamese rulers adopted the Chinese approach to government o Examination system helped undermine established aristocrats o Elite remained deeply committed to Chinese culture Much of distinctive Vietnamese culture remained in place o Language, cockfighting, betel nuts, greater roles for women o Kept nature goddesses and a “female Buddha” in popular belief o Developed a variation of Chinese writing, chu nom (“southern script”) Japan and China Japan was never invaded or conquered by China, so borrowing of Chinese culture was voluntary Main period of cultural borrowing was seventh–ninth centuries C.E., when first unified Japanese state began to emerge o Shotoku Taishi (572–622) launched a series of large -scale missions to China, took hundreds of Japanese monks, scholars, artists, and students to the mainland, an d when they returned, they put into practice what they had learned. creation of Japanese bureaucratic state modeled on China began with large-scale missions to China to learn o Seventeen Article Constitution proclaimed Japanese ruler as emperor encouraged Buddhism and Confucianism emphasized the moral quality of rulers as a foundation for social harmony o two capital cities ( Nara and then Heian) were founded, both modeled on Chinese capital of Chang’an elements of Chinese culture took root in Japan o several schools of Chinese Buddhism o art, architecture, education, medicine, religious views o Chinese writing system Japanese borrowings were selective Japan never created an effective centralized and bureaucratic state o political power became decentralized o local authorities developed their own military forces (samurai) Religious distinctiveness o Buddhism never replaced native belief system o The way of the Kami (sacred spirits), later called Shinto Distinctive literary and artistic culture o Unique writing system mixed Chinese characters with phonetic symbols o Early development of tanka (highly stylized poetry) o Highly refined aesthetic court culture, especially in Heian period (794– 1192) Elite women escaped most of Confucian oppression China and Eurasian World Economy Spillovers: China’s Impact on Eurasia China ’s technological innovations spread beyond its borders o Salt production through solar evaporation o Papermaking o Printing (though resisted by the Islamic World) o Gunpowder invented ca. 1000, but used differently when it reached Europe o Chinese textile, metallurgical, and naval technologies also stimulated imitation and innovation Chinese prosperity stimulated commercial life all over Eurasia On the receiving end: China as Economic Beneficiary China learned cotton and sugar cultivation and processing from India China was transformed around 1000 by introduction of new rice strains from Vietnam o Fast ripening and drought resistant strains of rice o Made rice production possible in southern China Increase population of China Yangzi River grew rapidly in population overtaking traditional centers in the north Technological creativity was spurred by cross-cultural contact o Persian windmills o Printing from Buddhist need for reproduction of Buddhist image and short texts on charms o Saltpeter discovered by Indian Buddhist monk Led to invention of gunpowder Growing participation in Indian Ocean trade o Foreign merchant settlements in southern Chinese ports by Tang era o Sometimes brought violence, e.g., massive massacre of foreigners in Canton in the 870s o Transformation of southern China to production for export instead of subsistence China and Buddhism Buddhism was India’s most important gift to China o China’s only large-scale cultural borrowing until Marxism o China was the base for Buddhism’s spread to Korea and Japan Making Buddhism Chinese o Buddhism entered China via Silk Roads in first-second centuries CE Han Dynasty was prosperous and no one was interested in Buddhism It was at odds Confucian Chinese were “Worldly” o Indian culture was too different from Chinese Buddhism took root 300-800 CE o Collapse of the Han dynasty ca. 200 CE brought chaos discrediting of Confucianism o Nomadic rulers in Northern China favored Buddhism o Buddhism was comforting o Monasteries provided increasing array of social services Supported people during disunified time o Buddhist appeared to have access to magical powers o Serious effort to present Buddhism in a form accessible to the Chinese Alteration of Buddhism Dharma Dao “the way” Morality filial submission and obedience Husband supports wife Husband controls wife o Mahayana form of Buddhism popular Sui and early Tang dynasties gave state support to Buddhism o Sui emperor Wendi (r. 581–604) had monasteries built at base of China ’s five sacred mountains Sacred mountains = ??? o Monasteries became very wealthy o Buddhism was never independent from state authorities Losing State Support: The Crisis of Chinese Buddhism o Growth of Chinese Buddhism provoked resistance and criticism Deepening resentment of the Buddhist establishment’s wealth It was foreign and thus offensive Monastic celibacy and withdrawal undermined the Confucianbased family system o New xenophobia perhaps started with An Lushan rebellion (755–763), led by foreign general o Chinese state began direct action against foreign religions in 841–845 260,000 monks and nuns forced to return to secular life Thousands of monasteries, temples, and shrines confiscated or destroyed Buddhists forbidden to use precious metals or gems for their images o Buddhism did not vanish from China ; it remained an important element of popular religion